Long before a product ever reaches the consumer’s hands, it travels through a hidden landscape of suppliers, partners and ecosystems — a reality ASCM has championed for years. Our docuseries, The Chain, pulls back the curtain on the intricacies of these individual and collective networks. From morphine to tomatoes to cell phones, there’s a story behind every product. But the throughline for these incredible narratives always comes down to sustainability.
To truly advance sustainability, industry leaders must commit to thorough supply chain mapping. A strategic mapping initiative does far more than plot points on a map; it exposes operational vulnerabilities, uncovers cost inefficiencies and highlights the deep interdependencies among suppliers. By gaining clear visibility into the footprint of every tier, organizations can pinpoint exactly where critical or high-risk materials originate and easily share these insights across the enterprise to drive improvements.
The mapping process can also lead you to some surprising places — just ask Bob Taylor, cofounder of Taylor Guitars. In recent years, the company found that sourcing wood was getting more expensive and complicated: “Supply chains that once felt stable are increasingly connected to ecosystems under stress,” Taylor writes for The Washington Post.
Driven by a desire to take responsibility for its raw materials, the company became the co-owner of an ebony mill in Cameroon. “Ebony has long been prized for stringed musical instruments,” but there wasn’t a lot of clarity around how many trees are left or how the trees grow. To better understand this key material, Taylor Guitars built a long-term research and reforestation initiative, partnering with the Franklinia Foundation and the Global Environment Facility, to plant tens of thousands of ebony and fruit trees on community-controlled lands that border protected forest areas.
Scientists on the project discovered that, in order for ebony to regenerate in the wild, it needs African forest elephants. They eat the fruit of the ebony trees, leaving behind their dung with the seeds safely inside, which masks the scent and thus protects the seeds from scavengers. “It’s a reminder that supply chains don’t begin in factories,” Taylor continues. “They often begin in ecosystems, which are complex, interdependent and often poorly understood.”
Not every supply chain map will unearth such stunning ecological dependencies. But it is incumbent on all networks to do the work and find out. “It’s about responsibility and, ultimately, resilience,” Taylor continues. “We can’t build the future on assumptions of endless supply.”
Rewarding forward-thinking supply chains
ASCM is proud to celebrate the organizations prioritizing their sustainability programs, a commitment highlighted by our SCOR Implementation and Execution: Sustainability Catalyst and Sustainability Champion awards. The corporate honor celebrates organizations driving positive environmental, social and governance change; the individual recognition elevates extraordinary professionals leading the integration of these critical frameworks.
Due to high demand, the Awards of Excellence deadline has been extended to June 15, so check out the six categories and nominate a company, a colleague or yourself today. I look forward to celebrating supply chains of all kinds with you at ASCM’s CHainge 2026 in Long Beach!
